Motivation for the purer theory came almost exclusively from preoccupation with (and fascination with) "applied" problems; and the clarification of theoretical ideas was absolutely dependent on an identification of live examples.

XREF: Echoes the science-vs-engineering dynamic and the gap-tooth model of innovation common in histories of computing and applied math. SEED: Could make a piece on how pure theory thrives when anchored to concrete problems — the antithesis of research-for-its-own-sake.

Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, loc. 11